


Secret Truth and Secret Lies

by vagrantBreath



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Decapitation, Horror, Introspection, M/M, Nightmares, Pathology - Freeform, Robot Sex, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-09-06 02:22:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16823239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagrantBreath/pseuds/vagrantBreath
Summary: Nightmares plague X. He's not sure what they mean, or anything will come of them, but he can't get the image of inorganic blood on his hands and Zero's dead eyes looking up at him in betrayal.But Zero has his own secrets...





	1. Chapter 1

Fluids arced across the floor, all of them vital for the continued function of a Reploid. Harsh ozone filtered through his olfactory sensor, mingling with the scent of burned steel. Scorch marks littered the area, found on any metallic surface available. Death surrounded him, something that should have been avoided. Something that couldn't be avoided.

And a shocked and betrayed Reploid by his feet, the last of its life sparking out before him. A Maverick he had to stop, for the sake of the world.

No, not a Reploid.

Horror started to engage his voice box, trying to let out a scream as Zero's empty eyes stared back at him-

X's eyes snapped open, the horrified scream still building in his voice box. He sat up from his bed, putting a hand to his head as he tried to calm himself. It had been a dream. He hadn't hurt Zero. Zero hadn't turned Maverick and X hadn't been forced to-

He couldn't help the shudder.

And unlike a human, the memory of the dream didn't start to fade. Every piece of it, from the gore littering the room to Zero's betrayed face, as if it had been _X_ that had gone Maverick, and he had killed him just as Zero realized it. But at the same time, he remembered his dream self's sadness, the resignation at having fought another Maverick, and then the horror when the dream revealed the Maverick was _Zero_ …

Heavy lassitude dragged at his limbs, the knowledge he might not be fighting Zero next, but still one of his friends, one of the people he fought side-by-side in other battles almost overwhelming him. No one had figured out how to stop a Reploid from going Maverick. It could happen at any moment, to any Reploid. And all X could do was put an end to the terror the Maverick brought. All he could do was kill his friends, one by one.

He brought a hand to his chest, as if he could cup the emotional pain that formed at that thought and soothe it over with his hands. But nothing changed the fact it was an unescapable truth. More and more Reploids turned Maverick every day. And nothing had been revealed why or even exactly _when_ they turned Maverick. X's dream could be his hard drive starting to corrupt and telling him he might face Zero, thinking he was Maverick, when it was actually X himself and Zero was just-

Somehow, that thought made X feel even more tired. If he went Maverick, then the only one who could take him down would be Zero. Even the entirety of his own unit wouldn't be enough. It would have to be someone as strong as him.

It would have to be Zero.

X closed his eyes.

Then stood, setting his shoulders back as he opened his eyes. Not much he could do. He could keep a program running for possible Maverick corruption, but even then he wasn't sure it wouldn't get corrupted as well.

And if it wasn't X who went Maverick, but Zero…

There had to be a better way than destruction. If he had to go against Zero, he wanted there to be a way to bring his friend back. He was just so… so tired.

So tired to losing.

X shook his head, and started out of his room. If he waited any longer, he'd be late. That would be so far beyond acceptable he might as well just scrap himself right then and there. While he wanted to take time to think about everything and mull over how he could change everything, he had obligations. Obligations only he, Mega Man X, could do.

But as soon as he stepped outside his room, a Maverick alarm sounded, all his alerts flashing for incoming information about the Reploid he would have to take down. Even in the short time it had taken for the alarm to start, an entire block had been razed. As X ran, a display popped up in the corner of his vision, showing the extent of the destruction the Navigators could see. The emotional pain returned as he saw Reploids scattered about, sometimes in one piece, sometimes in so many pieces he wasn't sure if that was one Reploid he saw or many. And then the humans, the blood and organs painting the streets the Navigators could record…

For a moment, X felt slightly woozy as his processor caught up and the emotional response fought with his need to help. When it resolved, Zero had caught up with him. "Was your unit deployed as well?" X asked, heading towards the teleporters.

"Yes." Zero didn't look over at him as they ran. When X spared a glance, Zero's face was focused, intense. Ready to take out the Maverick threat.

Something twisted inside X.

Would Zero look like that if he had to stop X? Focused? Merciless?

X looked away.

  


* * *

  


The fight ended quickly. Between X and Zero's combined power, the Maverick couldn't keep up. And now, X…

Zero looked down at X's arm as the buster faded back into a hand. The Maverick had hit X a few times, and even now, Zero could see the scorch mark and the slight oozing of dark fluids. But instead of doing anything to ensure nothing else was injured, X only stood there. The injury would heal seamlessly - it always did - but the fact X did nothing else made Zero step over to him. There was a possibility he was experiencing critical hard drive failure.

X turned as Zero reached his side. "Hey," he said quietly.

So he was still responding to external stimuli. "X," he said, not sure what else to say.

"We should get back to base." Zero noticed how the smile on X's lips didn't quite fit. "We need to give our reports."

Zero didn't know what else to say as X engaged a teleport, his body zipping away in blue light as Zero watched. X had been acting strangely ever since he caught up with him. But Zero didn't know how to parse any of that. X had been thinking about something, but Zero didn't know what it could possibly be. Was X working on something? Then, what would it be?

Pain rippled through Zero's body, and he grit his teeth.

It couldn't be time.


	2. Chapter 2

Zero let out a long sigh of relief. The creeping sharp stabs of pain had almost gotten to the point his systems were going to be affected. He pulled the connecting cable from his head, suddenly feeling the need to power down for a few hours. Memory dumps always did that to him. Instead, he turned to the dump, knowing there would be nothing in the files for why his body suddenly turned into a festering mess of pain.

There were still so many things he didn't understand about his own _body_. It should be easy to scan his systems and know what's going on, but even then, he didn't know what certain functions were in his code. They seemed to be hiding something, but he couldn't unlock it. Not to mention the dreams he still had about a mysterious old man, and the impressions flashing through him about intense violence and the glee that ran through him. But even the memory dump didn't explain that code to him.

Zero finally stumbled away from the computer, his systems starting to declare if he didn't power down _now_ , they would do it for him. At least his rest would be dreamless this time. Zero settled himself into the recharge tube and closed his eyes, his consciousness shutting off almost instantly.

His body didn't shift at all during his rest, but when he woke, he felt… wrong. Like his armour had shifted and was now poking him. Zero shifted the plating, grunting as it settled into a more comfortable position. It almost felt like his body had subtly changed, but when Zero ran a diagnostic check, nothing was different. At least, nothing was flagged as _wrong_. He might need to run a different check, just in case the programming for the check he was running was corrupted. How often his armour didn't fit correctly should flag _something,_ and yet everything came back normal.

Maybe, instead of a check for anything abnormal, a log…

Zero shook his head. There wasn't much he could do right now anyway. He could run the preliminary run now, and keep it running in the background for any changes to his body. But right now, he would need to get to a meeting. Every part of him wanted there to be a Maverick attack every time he had to go to a meeting, and this time was no different. They were just so _boring._ Where was Axl, anyway?

Maybe he should worry more about Axl not being back from his own mission. Kid was usually better than that.

Actually… Zero turned, heading towards Medical. Axl _shouldn't_ be there with repairs, but it was worth checking-

_"Zero?"_

X. His systems automatically picked up as soon as they recognized the transmission was from X. Maybe he should worry about that… _"Yes?"_

_"I'm not going to be able to make it to the meeting. Something came up."_

Something came up? It wasn't like X to call out of a meeting for any reason… whatever it was, it had to be life or death. _"Do you require assistance?"_

_"I'm fine. Sorry, Zero."_

X terminated the connection on his end before Zero could pursue that. It seemed like X was… distracted? That didn't make him feel better about anything.

Absently, Zero shifted his armour again, and started walking. If he went to visit Medical, he'd be late. He'd worry about Axl's whereabouts later.

  


* * *

  


His code _looked_ clean…

X rubbed his face, grateful Medical was empty as he tried to think about this clearly. He had the nightmare again, just as vivid as before. Was this… was this the first sign of going Maverick? Disturbing nightmares? Or was it-

Was it just his own fears? He shouldn't be able to go Maverick. But, in case it happened… Zero would take care of him. That nightmare wouldn't come to pass. Unless…

_No_. He would never bait Zero into thinking he was okay and then betray him. He would never go Maverick in the first place! What was wrong with him?

He sighed, turning back to the monitor. There had to be something wrong with his code. Something corrupted or something wrong that needed to be removed. There-

X closed his eyes.

Or maybe he was just overthinking things considering the constant Maverick attacks have made him wonder just what he could do to… stop it all. He and Zero had just been out taking down a Maverick, and now Axl was still out on his mission. And when another Maverick attack would come (because it would, in the next 24 hours. It always did), X and Zero (and Axl, if he was back) would be out taking care of that one too. His life revolved around Mavericks in every single capacity, and he couldn't do anything else. Even if he dropped back to the sidelines, his world was consumed by Mavericks.

A crash came from outside the door and X stood, his hand already shaping into his buster. Things didn't crash in base without a good reason. Something was there.

The door opened, and the buster reformed into a hand as he rushed to Axl's side. "Are you okay?" he asked, noticing the dark fluids running from his shoulder and the worrying sparks from his midsection.

Axl only nodded, gesturing to his throat with his uninjured hand. X swallowed as he saw the damaged voice box as Axl's transmission came up in his sensors.

_"You should see the other guy,"_ Axl told him. _"Is my bed empty?"_

Somehow, it didn't surprise X that Axl had a preferred recovery tube in Medical. The younger Reploid was certainly S-ranked, but he was just a little too cocky sometimes and overextended himself. X led him to the tube. "Do you need a med bot?"

" _Nah. A good nap and I'll be ready to go."_ Axl grinned at him. _"You okay? You and Zero have a fight or something? That look on your face makes it seem like you just heard the world is about to end."_

"Just thinking," X assured him.

_"Then stop. Geez."_

X couldn't help the laugh at that. "Get some rest, Axl."

Once Axl was settled in, powering off to recover, X turned to leave. Then, he went to the computer and cleared the screen of his code.

He'd look at everything later.


	3. Chapter 3

"No!" X bolted upright, air rushing through his ventilation system rapidly. He didn't- he _couldn't-_

No. Zero was okay. X was alone in his own, private, free of gore room. He wasn't ripping Zero apart with his bare hands as the other robot screamed in pain and betrayal. Everything was okay.

It had been so _visceral_. The brutality and clarity of the nightmare had to come from seeing Axl injured like that. The young Reploid's voice box had been damaged so much that even now, it didn't quite function the same. Static bled through his words as he talked. X could tell that was being worked on and soon enough, he'd have a fully functioning voice box again. But still, the present reminder of what they fought and the fact they couldn't do anything about it crackled through Axl's words.

X pressed his hands over his eyes, the pressure causing the optic receptors to misfire for a moment, a bright light registering to his sensors for that brief moment. If he pressed for too long, he knew he'd damage the receptors. But right now…

An incoming transmission beeped, and X lowered his hands as he answered. _"X here."_

 _"Is there an attack?"_ Zero's voice shivered through his senses. _"You sent out a distress signal."_

X reached up to rub his face. If Zero was the only one contacting him, he must have just sent it to him. No one else was trying to contact him. But the fact he sent a distress signal to Zero because of a dream… _"No. It's okay. Nothing's wrong."_

 _"You don't normally send out distress signals for no reason,"_ Zero responded, scepticism through every word.

 _"It was nothing. Just…"_ Telling Zero it was just over a dream sounded so wrong. _"Sensor malfunction."_

 _"Sensor malfunction."_ X cringed slightly at the flat tone. _"If that's the case, you need to have that looked that. With a malfunction like that, you could be at a major disadvantage during a battle."_

_"Yeah. I'll get it looked at."_

But Zero didn't end the transmission. _"I'm coming over,"_ he declared. _"If your sensors are malfunctioning, you wouldn't know if something was there until it attacked you."_

X closed his eyes. Zero would be yelling at him forever tonight if he didn't at least let the other droid examine the area. _"As long as it won't interfere with your recharge cycle."_

 _"You've already done that,"_ Zero said wryly before ending the transmission.

With a groan, X stood. When his internal timer told him Zero should be arriving soon, he opened the door. Zero lowered his arms, looking unimpressed. "A second slow," he told him, the worry evident in his eyes as he entered the room.

"Yeah, I'll get that looked at too." Suddenly, all he could remember was the dream sensory of Zero's body ripping apart by his own hands, and the fluids flying-

"-X. X!" The android jumped as Zero placed a hand on his cheek. "You weren't responding," he told him, the worry bleeding into his voice. "We're going to Medical right now."

"I'm _fine_ , Zero," X told him, suddenly hyperaware of Zero's hand falling away. "Just… distracted."

"This sort of distraction-"

"-is a liability. I know."

Zero's hand came down to rest on his shoulder. "It's not like you to tell me what's wrong," he finally said, his voice slightly stiff.

Considering it was related to Zero himself, X found himself extremely hesitant to even hint at it. "I'm taking care of it," he said instead. Maybe if he recorded himself during his rests, and reviewed the content after… It might be code that only ran during his sleep. Once he figured it out, everything would be fine.

"If you're sure." Zero finally stepped away, looking around. "Do you have a spare recharge tube?"

"Huh?"

The look on Zero's face caused heat to run to his face. "If you're so distracted, someone needs to stay with you," he told X, his voice as flat and unimpressed as his face. "My sensors are working perfectly. I'll stay here."

Zero's words wormed to his core, heating him from within. "If you're sure," X started before Zero shook his head.

"This isn't a matter if I'm sure, X. This is for your own safety."

Zero wasn't leaving anytime soon, then. "Fine."

  


* * *

  


It was _too soon_. He should have stabs of pain every other second. But he couldn't leave X alone. Not if he was acting like this.

So instead, Zero put the pain aside. X needed someone to watch him. X needed _him._

The sensory memory of X's cheek against his hand flashed through his thoughts. For an android, X was soft. Very soft. Very warm. It would be too easy to take him apart, to-

Pain ripped through him, heedless of the block set on his pain receptors. Zero schooled his face to blank neutrality, attempting more blocks. But it stabbed through his body, demanding that Zero do- Zero-

"Zero?" A hand touched Zero's arm.

It took an emergency protocol yelling at him _"X! X! X!"_ to keep from ripping that hand apart. "Yes, X?"

"Nothing." X let his hand drop. "We should get rest."

It would be so easy to pin him against his own wall, reaping everything he ever wanted, ever needed from the android's body, as X's essence became _his_ , everything he needed to soothe over this pain-

"Yes. Rest."


	4. Chapter 4

Fingers gently touched X's face and hair as Zero marvelled at how soft each felt. X fought so hard, so much, and yet he felt as soft as a newly activated Reploid. Perhaps it was something Dr. Light specifically installed on him, Zero thought. To appear as human as possible. Soft skin and hair caught light differently than battle worn skin, which tended to look more and more robotic as time passed. This way, X could pass as human for years to come.

Zero pulled his hand back. X had most likely told his sensors not to worry about waking him if they detecting it was Zero nearby, if Zero was touching him, and that disturbed the other. It wouldn't take much to take advantage of that trust. The idea of doing so didn't sit well; his senses screamed as it even crossed his mind, causing a faux nauseous feeling. But at the same time, X showed too much trust towards those he knew, and Zero couldn't help but think of Sigma betrayal as X slumbered peacefully. If X showed that sort of trust towards the wrong Reploid…

The urge to snarl seized him. No. X would not show that sort of trust towards another. It didn't matter who it was; it could be _Axl_ , their comrade-in-arms against other Mavericks. X would not show that sort of trust. That was _Zero's_ to hold and protect. To possess.

A sense of vertigo passed through Zero at those thoughts, and he rested a hand against his forehead. That wasn't… normal, certainly, but… what were those thoughts? He had come to watch X while he had possibly malfunctioning sensors, and yet… Was this part of his code he didn't understand? The urge to have, to own?

Suddenly, his armour was too tight. Various internal wirings blared warnings at him, screaming about the compression against his torso. Pain crawled through his body, taking him over. Before he could stop himself, his hands ripped off his armour, the metal hitting the ground with a tremendous clang. Zero looked over at X, trying to see if the sound had awaken him, only to feel a growl rumbling through his voice box.

X looked so _innocent_ …

  


* * *

  


It was just a perk his humming annoyed the stuck up Hunter around him. Axl continued to hum as he left the elevator, still testing his voice box. The static got worse on the higher notes. And he knew he had a higher, younger pitched voice than some of the male Reploids around. Either he would have to modify his speaking to not incur the static, or get that fixed.

Axl voted "fixed," thank you very much.

In the meantime, he had to figure out what frequencies made him static. Higher ones, certainly, but even some lower ones made his voice skip and static. And he had a feeling, until he fixed that, it would just get worse and worse.

Then he stopped. And blinked.

No way.

_No way._

Damn it, he owed Alia a hundred zenny. Couldn't X and Zero wait one more week?! 

But the evidence was clear. Zero had stumbled out of X's room, _completely_ bare of his armour (damn it, that was another hundred zenny! He was so certain Zero couldn't even think about intimate relationships without his armour on), disheveled and his vents working overtime. There was only one thing that would do that.

Axl sighed.

At least he could take solace in the fact the "will they or won't they?" phase was over.

Zero's head snapped over to Axl at the sound of air moving through his vents. Warning alarms started beeping in his head at the look on Zero's face. That… that wasn't someone that had been deep in the throes of passion, suddenly realized what was going on, and got the hell out. Zero's face looked like…

More warnings screamed at him. Zero didn't look right. Yeah, Axl hadn't ever seen him without his armour on, but he had a feeling what Zero had under the metal wasn't a body like that. Not something that seemed _perfectly_ adapted to stalk. To… almost entice, in a way, because Axl was sure noticing suddenly just how attractively shaped Zero's body was. Or- was it Zero's body, or something else? Did pheromones work on Reploids?

Axl barely had time to grasp one of his pistols before Zero was in his space, seizing his wrists and pushing him against the wall. He grunted, trying to pull his wrists free. Was Zero infected?! That was the only thing that made sense. Zero didn't act like this normally. But wasn't Zero immune?

His thoughts slowly turned to static as Zero held him. Damn it. Damn…

When he opened his eyes again, Zero was gone.

Axl grunted, lowering his hands from the wall. It wasn't like Zero had run off- he had just _vanished._ Axl poked at his memory banks, then blanched as he realized there was a five minute gap. Just… completely wiped.

In fact… why was he here? Something was making his warning sirens go insane, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Nothing about that made sense. Wasn't there something about Zero..?

Nope. Unease came over him at the thought of Zero, but nothing came to mind. Was that part of the erased bit?

Whatever.

Axl scratched at his neck. Funny. Now his throat itched like crazy, almost a burn under the skin. His fingers caught on a seam, a rough, lifted piece in his skin, and he frowned. Was that from the damage to his voice box…? 

Maybe.

Man, he was tired all of a sudden. Time to rest.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, great fight," Axl told the other Reploid, helping him to his feet. And he meant it. The other Reploid wasn't a S-Class Hunter like himself, but it was still a good workout. Really put his processor to work looking for openings and planning ahead. "Rematch later?"

The other Reploid grunted as he took Axl's hand, pulling himself upward. "Yeah, sure kid." He turned and left, waving behind him as he went. Axl noticed a slight grinding sound as the other Reploid's left leg moved, wondering if it had been the sparring or he needed to head to Medical to get that checked out.

Well, if it made a grinding sound, it probably felt even worse. He'd know what to do. Axl moved his own joints, checking for any intense wear and tear and coming back with a good answer. Top shape, as always.

Okay, except for the itch in his throat. He had checked it out, and nothing was strange about it. Maybe his sensory nerves were being overactive, but… maybe it was still just the fact he had practically destroyed his voice box. Maybe his throat still needed to get used to the new hardware.

"Axl!" He turned at the sound of the deep voice, grinning as the Reploid came running. He always did like Lightning Papillon. "You headed towards the canteen?"

That sounded like a good idea, actually. "Yeah. I just gone done sparring. Could use a pick-me-up."

"Come on, I'm going to pick up an E-tank too." Lightning Papillon's face didn't allow for much emotional expression, but Axl knew if they could, they would be beaming.

"Sure." Absently, a hand reached up to rub at the side of his neck as they walked. Man, he couldn't wait for his system to get used to the new voice box. "How're things going?"

"Same as always. Kind of enjoying this little bit without a Maverick, though."

"Man, don't say stuff like that! We'll have another Maverick War on our hands now," Axl told him, laughing slightly as they entered the canteen.

"If you were look at the probability, the chances-"

Axl let out another laugh. "You and probability. Look- oh, hey, sorry." He reached out, steadying the Reploid he had nearly knocked over. From the looks of things, this one was a civilian model, contracted to work with them. "You okay?"

"Watch where you're going," the Reploid snapped, brushing Axl off and walking towards the exit.

"Can't please everyone," Axl muttered. "Okay, Papillon, I'll admit the probability-"

Warnings screamed at him, declaring a new threat just as Axl and Lightning Papillon ducked a thrown table. Axl yanked out a pistol, turning to aim at-

"What the fuck…" Axl breathed, keeping his pistol steady.

The civilian Reploid stood in the doorway, their head jerking in small, random movements along its entire axis. Their body also convulsed in janky movements, giving Axl the uncomfortable visual of watching a video glitch. When the Reploid fell still, they looked like they had powered off with the slumped position, blank eyes, and clear sound of powering down. Axl pulled his other pistol and kept them trained on the Reploid as he moved closer, reaching out with his foot to kick it once he got close enough. A dull clang rung through the air, the Reploid not even showing a hint of reactivation in their eyes, and he sighed, lowering his pistols slightly. "Papillon, I'm going to need to let Medical- shit!"

His words cut off as the Reploid seized him by the foot, hauling him up before tossing him aside. Axl noticed, before he hit the nearest wall, that the Reploid had not powered on. At all.

Lightning hit the Reploid as Lightning Papillon snapped their fingers, using the static spark created and generator in his core to do so. Even after being hit, the Reploid lunged for Lightning Papillon, almost tripping over themselves as they did so.

And even then, they hadn't powered back on…

Quickly, Axl shot the Reploid, bullets easily ripping through the civilian model and causing it to crash to the ground. Axl felt something that could only be dread as the Reploid tried to get up again, motions jerky before Axl aimed carefully, the next shot taking out their power source.

The berserk Reploid fell, still.

"What the fuck," Axl breathed again, looking up at Lightning Papillon.

  


* * *

  


Not a Maverick.

X stared at the report relating to the civilian Reploid. He was certain Zero was doing the same with his own report, maybe even more baffled than him. None of it made sense. Mavericks acted certain ways, not to mention all the scans done after reported nothing out of the ordinary. And both Axl and Lightning Papillon had said the other Reploid had been completely powered off.

With a groan, X dismissed the report. He was going to need some time to think on it because none of it made sense. Zero might have more ideas. It might be a good time to visit him.

Besides, he had to go thank Zero for watching over him that night. When he woke up, without having a single nightmare, Zero had already left. And since then, X just hadn't had time to thank Zero. With that thought, X started down the hall, intent on checking the training room. Zero was usually training at this time, so it was a safe bet. But as X entered the elevator, he noticed Zero already standing there, leaning up against the wall. "Oh! I was looking for you."

Zero's head lifted, and X felt pinned to the spot. There was something… wrong? Off? No, something…

"About the report, right?" Zero said, his voice dry.

"Uh. Yeah." Embarrassed, X continued on, "Did anything stick out about it that maybe would make the entire thing make sense?"

Zero shook his head, his spill of blond hair waving behind him. "Nothing. I would think the civilian went Maverick, but-"

"The way they acted and the scans later don't support that," X finished, frustrated. He leaned up against the elevator wall as well, thinking as it lifted towards another Reploid's call. As an afterthought, X pressed a button so they would be let off before the elevator reached its destination.

X was intensely aware of Zero watching him. He intently looked at the floor, trying to ignore the roil of emotion building inside him at the realization. "I want to thank you," X told the floor. "For watching while I slept. I slept really well."

"Have you gotten your sensor malfunction looked at?"

"Yeah." He knew it wasn't a malfunction, but he had to say something. "I'm good."

"Hm." X looked up at that. Zero was still watching him, only now something more thoughtful had entered his face. "If you have another malfunction, let me know. I'll stay with you until it clears."

That just made X smile. If anything, it would be nice not having those horrific nightmares about killing Zero. "Thanks."

Zero's smile flashed back at him.


	6. Chapter 6

Zero hovered over him, his features hidden by shadow as X felt a soft touch on his jaw. X only watched through slightly open eyes, something… off about Zero's body. Like it shifted, changed with each breath, flitting between so many lines and curves he seemed more and more preternatural as he watched, his eyes falling shut again as Zero leaned closer…

Mission alarms made his eyes fly wide open and sit up. By the door, Zero turned, looking at him. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern filtering through his voice.

X nodded, quickly reading over the information sent to him regarding the mission. "Maverick." An emotion ached inside him as he saw who it was. "Roiling Liger has barricaded himself in a warehouse in Abel City and is attacking anyone who comes near. Two other units have tried to take him down, and have failed."

When X looked over at Zero, a pensive look had settled on his face. "Roiling Liger was just fine yesterday," he finally said, his voice quiet. "I saw him heading towards Medical, complaining about a hitch in his leg. Do you think…?"

"The Sigma virus is back?" X closed his eyes. They didn't need this. "Medical wouldn't be the ones infecting other Reploids. Unless…"

"I'll talk to Signas about checking the background of the Medical team and having them tested for the virus," Zero assured him. "However, right now, you need to get going. Call me if you need me."

"I hope I won't." X flashed him a grim smile as he stood. Zero's arm came up, obviously offering his own support, but X couldn't help but notice how the changing shadow altered his body. Something sleek, beautiful, foreign in his design hardened to power, to a design X was more familiar with. X pushed the thought out of his mind, meeting Zero's arm with his own.

Then started off, trying to ignore the strange tug at his emotions.

  


* * *

  


Well, at least now Axl felt normal. Or as normal as he would feel after that… weird incident. At least his throat had stopped itching, but what happened still stuck with him. That was the closest thing to a Maverick he had seen inside the base. Only the fact it had been moving even after completely powering down, even after almost being destroyed made him think maybe, just maybe, things were a little weird.

Or, hell, it might just be a new Maverick virus. That would be their luck.

Well, at least he, X, and Zero were immune. It would suck if any of them went Maverick.

Speaking of those two, where were they? Axl sort of secretly hoped they were passionately embraced because that was a hundred zenny he just won from-

Wait. Axl stopped, tilting his head slightly. Why did that thought make the empty space in his memory's banks light up? It wasn't like they had any hint X and Zero had finally gotten together. So why did he feel like he had _thought_ that before? And if it had happened any earlier, he would have _lost_ zenny to Alia. So why did he feel like he had thought about the bet he had before?

"Did you hear about Roiling Liger?" Axl heard from behind him, a soft female voice chattering excitedly.

"I hear they're sending the Seventeenth unit out," another female voice answered, the voice box affecting a breathy sound. "It's gotten so bad, they have to send X!"

Huh. Axl never liked it when other Maverick Hunters went Maverick themselves, and knowing X was out there to handle Roiling…

Wait.

Axl tilted his head. Roiling Liger? Hadn't he sparred with him just yesterday? Yeah, he had left with a grinding noise in one of his legs, but nothing that was _off_. Nothing that should have made him go Maverick. Unless it was… Axl ran down the hall, intent on finding Zero. He wasn't as familiar with the Maverick Virus as he wanted to be, but Zero was. Zero had fought a lot of Mavericks. He'd know.

"Hey, Axl!" The lilting words caused Axl to slow, turning. A new Navigator (Elise, Axl's memory banks supplied) ran up to him, short black curls falling across her childishly cute face. "Are you going out to fight Roiling Liger too? I don't remember anyone saying you're going…"

"No, I just need to talk to Zero," he assured her. "Did Pallette ditch me and you're my new Navigator? You're cute."

Elise instantly turned bright red, and she lifted her hand over her face. "Axl, don't say things like that if you don't know someone! And no, I'm not your new Navigator. I was just wondering where you're going."

"Oh." Axl scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Well, then, maybe I'll see you around, Elise."

She nodded. "And if you do need a Navigator… you know, if Pallatte…"

"I'll keep you in mind," he promised, patting her shoulder.

Elise brightened at that, and Axl could see from how her blush faded that it wasn't really about him. She probably just wanted to be useful and felt stifled where she was. Or maybe he was full of it. She could just be bored. "Okay. See you around, Axl!"

Axl didn't watch her leave, turning back to his own search. He had to find Zero. As he ran, he fell further and further away from the teeming mass of Reploids, and to more living quarters. He turned down a corridor, finally seeing Zero, alone-

Fiery pain exploded in Axl's senses, crawling across his neck.

He felt hands on his shoulders, and he looked up, seeing Zero, that strange look back on his face as his lips pulled back from his teeth, pressing Axl up against the wall as his neck _burned_ -

A scream down the hall made Axl open his eyes. Had he closed them?

He turned his head in time to watch Elise, fluids dripping from the gouges she had inflicted on her own face and coating her fingers, rip her own head off. She instantly powered off, slumping, as her head rolled across the floor. The Reploids behind her, their own weapons at the fore, just watched her head come to a stop against the wall.

When she suddenly jerked up again, it was Zero who stopped her, sabre splitting her power source and control chip cleanly.

Axl could not remember when Zero had arrived.


	7. Chapter 7

Everything was on fire. That was just great.

X looked around, his buster at the fore. He hadn't seen Roiling Liger anywhere. The unmoving bodies of his comrades, sure, but not the Reploid he had been sent to find. X looked up as the metal of the building groaned worryingly. Unless he was wrong, the heat was starting to warp the metal. He needed to find and take of Roiling Liger, fast.

Except Roiling Liger was nowhere to be found.

With a loud metallic scream, a piece of the ceiling fell before X's feet, the steel beam still smoking as the plaster burned away. If he moved farther in, he could possibly still find Roiling Liger, but now he was on a stricter timer. He could find Roiling Liger, but he was also at risk at being buried. He might be able to teleport out if it really came to it, but… if he left, Roiling Liger would still be here. X felt the emotion ache inside him, knowing he couldn't save him but if he left now, others would be in danger. He had to push on. For the sake of everyone.

Before he even registered the warning, X dodged the incoming roar of fire. As he turned, his buster up, he already knew something wasn't right. Roiling Liger wasn't looking at him, but screaming bursts of fire indiscriminately. Each limb of his body jerked unnaturally, glitching quickly in front of X's vision. But worst of all was the empty darkness in his eyes. No hint of the Reploid within was found in those eyes. Almost as if the personality had been completely shut off, or-

Deleted.

X shuddered.

Roiling Liger fell still, and X stepped closer. That was ended quickly when Roiling Liger tilted his head back, spewing fire to the ceiling. His body started quaking, and X could hear each part of his body rattling. But as soon as it started, Roiling Liger had slumped over again. He twitched a few times, but didn't rise again. X reached out carefully, pushing his head with his buster.

Nothing.

What just happened? X lowered his arm, processor working furiously to figure it out. Roiling Liger's actions, and the way his eyes had reflected no personality, no awareness… Was this a new Maverick virus? One that infected a Reploid, and then shut it off for good? But what would do that? How?

A part of X wanted to take him, study him. A part of X screamed it was dangerous, because if Roiling Liger had been infected with a new version of the virus, he still might be contagious. Taking an infected Reploid around other Reploids would result in an outbreak. But that just raised the question of… where had he been infected? When?

X turned away, ready to teleport out of the burning building and let the firefighters put it out.

He turned just in time to watch Roiling Liger fall to the ground, hands scraping towards him. When Roiling Liger raised his head, fire burning in his mouth once again, X took aim, his buster charging to fire one shot.

Roiling Liger stopped moving, this time for good.

With that, X raised his hand to his ear. "X here. Roiling Liger has been retired."

 _"Understood,"_ Alia's voice filtered over the connection. _"Firefighters will be dispatched soon. X, what **happened**?"_

"I wish I knew."

  


* * *

  


Something stuck between Zero's teeth. He couldn't taste, per se, but it gave an uncomfortable feeling of darkness, stickiness that it was close enough to a sense of taste for him. And he didn't like it.

At least he hadn't had to dump whatever code was making him uncomfortable. In fact, the pain he had felt before seemed to be mostly gone. His systems still occasionally echoed a twinge, but other than that, it was gone. That was good.

Shouldn't X be back soon? His fingers started to twitch, already ready to pick up his sabre and go after him. He hadn't gotten a call, but that didn't mean something was wrong.

With that thought, Zero started down to Medical. X usually didn't need to go to Medical, since his body repaired itself quickly, but if he was particularly beat up… he might need to go. If anything, to make sure his body was stabilized while it repaired itself. But when he got there, only a few Reploids could be seen. No X.

Maybe X had gone to report to Signas. As Zero walked through the halls, his sensors registered a scorched metal scent. It didn't smell like anything was on _fire_ , so…

"X!" Zero's body lit up in alarm as he saw X walking, seemingly exhausted with various parts of his armour bearing black scorch marks. "Are you okay?"

A tired smile settled on X's lips. "I'm okay," he assured Zero. "I just got back from my mission."

Facing Roiling Liger. But Roiling Liger was at best a B-Class Hunter. He shouldn't have given X any problems, particularly to the point that X looked completely drained of all energy. "You look exhausted," Zero told him, still looking over his form. He didn't appear _injured._ His armour was blackened, but it looked like more from grazes or indirect flame than a proper hit. X had been around a lot of smoke… maybe his ventilation system was still filtering it out? Or maybe X needed to go make sure it was clear of any soot?

X put his hand over his face, laughing slightly, the noise without humour. "Guess I'm just overthinking things," he told Zero. "Putting too much strain on my processor. It was just… really strange. It looked like something was overwriting Roiling Liger's code and eventually deleted it all. But-"

"That's not how the virus works," Zero finished, frowning.

X nodded. "I still need to report to Signas. See you later?"

The urge to grab X and take him away, away from whoever would keep him from Zero grabbed him-

And Zero nodded, his hands trembling with the restrained need.

"Make sure you rest," he told X.

"I will."


	8. Chapter 8

The lithe, almost feline and feminine body stalked closer. Each step passed a scrap of metal- no. That step passed a limb, still sparking. And now past a growing pool of dark fluid. The figure was almost there, almost-

X screamed as he woke, the sound of his dream self firing a fully charged blaster shot into Zero's face chasing him into wakefulness.

"No, no, no," he chanted, hauling himself upward as his communication systems wildly sent out a message to Zero, hoping, _praying_ he was okay. The dream held him so tightly he couldn't forget the look on Zero's face, and the way it changed as X mercilessly fired. "Please, Zero, please-"

 _"Zero here."_ The tinny sound of the transmission made X nearly sigh with relief, his vents feeling heavy with the worry and needing to rush air out. _"Is something wrong, X?"_

The question had X stopping, realizing he had to now explain why he called Zero. Like before, trying to explain it was over a dream… _"I-"_

Zero's exasperation echoed silently over the com link before it was closed. Which was okay. X put a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. These dreams only got worse because of the strange Mavericks that had popped up. Nothing more. They'd go away.

With that, X left his room. If his processor was going to piece together memories and fears like that, he was better off being busy. Doing paperwork. Studying what was going on. Something. But as soon as he turned a corner, Zero stepped out of the elevator, a rend in his shoulder armour. "Zero!"

"Are you okay?" Heedless of the gash in his shoulder, Zero stepped closer, taking his shoulder. "You sounded like you were in distress. Did something happen?" His eyes started to flicker around, his opposite hand reaching for his sabre.

"Am I okay?! Zero, you're hurt!"

Zero looked over at his shoulder, almost as if seeing the wound for the first time. "It's nothing," he told X. "It didn't hit anything."

"Zero-"

"No, X." Zero shook his head. "This time, you're going to explain what's going on. You can't hide behind 'sensor malfunction' this time. Your sensors never once glitched while I was watching you sleep."

So… Zero could have phrased that better, X thought. The words dropped as what they were, but now X couldn't help but think about that preternaturally beautiful body in his dreams watching him- "Anyway," X managed. "It was-"

What? What could he say that wasn't 'a dream'?

"Something's bothering you," Zero declared. "What is it?"

Feeling cornered, X looked away. "It's a dream," he admitted. "I keep dreaming something happened to you." Vague, and didn't say anything about his involvement in his dream. And considering how many times something _had_ happened to Zero, it made sense that he would dream about it.

Zero's gentle fingers touched his chin, guiding his sight back to Zero's face. "Nothing's going to happen to me," he told X, his voice not even making it a vow, but more a matter of fact. X's eyes slowly started to close as Zero moved closer, his hand still cupping X's jaw, and watched through barely open eyes as Zero's face seemed to morph, shift to something-

"Nothing going to happen to me," Zero repeated, the words soft, between them as his other hand cupped X's jaw.

Warnings blasted in X's head, and his eyes snapped open. For a brief moment, Zero looked… completely unnatural. The hungry look on Zero's face only highlighted the preternatural features. And then, as X watched, Zero's form shifted back to Zero.

Then Zero pressed his lips to X's mouth.

  


* * *

  


Wow, X was… distracted. Axl looked over at X as Signas talked, watching the attentive look on his face melt yet again to a more thoughtful one. Maybe it had to do with the new Maverick problem? After what X had said about his battle with Roiling Liger, it probably wasn't a Maverick problem, but they didn't have anything else to compare it to. So, Mavericks.

Briefly, Axl let himself long for freedom from this briefing. The only reason why he was there was his ranking. He wasn't a commander, just an S-class Hunter. But they still wanted all high ranking Hunters there. Axl rubbed his neck as he looked over at Zero, his face a stony mask as always.

Weird how his neck itched again. At least, for a little bit.

As soon as the meeting was over, Axl got out. He didn't really know what he could do other than kick "Maverick" ass when the time came. He wasn't in charge of anything like X or Zero. Kicking ass and taking names was pretty much what he could do. Axl rolled his neck as he walked, turning towards the elevator. Once it opened, he was happy to see it was empty. A rarity. He just didn't… want to talk to anyone. Not with how weird things were. He had a feeling he'd start ranting if he did.

But before the doors closed, Zero entered. "What do you think?" he asked, pushing a button. "About these Mavericks?"

"Weirdest Mavericks I've ever seen," Axl told him, leaning against the wall. "They-"

His voice box died as Zero looked at him and- oh. Oh no. Axl tried to engage anything, his radio, his voice, his _body_ because Zero didn't look right, he didn't look right _at all_ -

With a press of a button, Zero stopped the elevator between floors. Axl watched as a smile crossed his face, little fangs he knew weren't there before peeking over his lips. His body seemed so much more- _not real_. Like it was perfectly shaped for hunting, too attractive to be attractive. Too attractive to not be outright frightening, raising warnings of a predator in his midsts.

But Axl couldn't _move_ as Zero pressed him further against the wall, tilting his head. A part of him _welcomed_ it, a line of code-

Axl's eyes popped wide open as Zero bit his neck, barely deep enough to cut through his synthetic skin. Not even deep enough to engage any fluids. It would heal in no time. But as he did, he felt a _rush_ , code pouring into him as his own fought back, anti-viral measures now tuned, adapted to the virus Zero was pushing into him-

But he was immune, a part of him thought. The three of them were immune to the Maverick-

But even as he thought it, he could feel the virus mutating, reaching out for his memory banks to delete, yet again, any memory of this encounter before his anti-virus software put a stop to it. He felt it mutate, join the other virus code in his system, allowing him to carry without being symptomatic, much like how Zero-

Was Zero asymptomatic? Or was this the symptoms in him, as he mutated a well known virus into something else, something worse-

And the last bit of Axl's memory left him, only coming back when the elevator doors pinged open.

His throat itched.


	9. Chapter 9

Someone was holding him. Who-

"Shh. If you open your eyes now, you'll wake up," a gentle female voice told him. "Before you do, promise me… Promise me, Zero."

Was that-?

"Promise me… you won't hurt anyone else."

Zero opened his eyes to his empty room. With a sigh, he pulled himself out of his recharge tube. It had been months since he last dreamt about Iris. Why now? Why would he dream of her now? And with her saying not to hurt anyone else… he had a feeling she didn't mean Mavericks. He put a hand to the front of his helmet, sighing.

As he moved to leave, a thought occurred to him. What was X doing? They hadn't had time to explore Zero taking his lips in full before they had to attend a meeting. But if he were return to X's room now, when no one else should be bothering them anytime soon… Yes. That was a fantastic idea. Zero made his way out of the room, swift feet taking him towards X's room. Before he arrived, he sent out a query to X, making sure the other was in his room.

_"Yes, Zero?"_

X's calm message sent a tremble through Zero's systems. He needed-

_**Promise me… you won't hurt anyone else.** _

Blue hands came into his vision, and Zero just barely managed not to tear them apart from the emergency protocol screaming X's name. "Hey," X said as he took Zero's shoulders, worried. "What's wrong?"

Zero shook his head. "It's nothing, X."

"You didn't respond, so I got worried," X informed him. "Are you-mph!"

X's lips were soft, like everything else about him. If Zero held him tightly, he could feel the hard metal skeleton under the skin. But on the surface… Zero cupped his head, feeling X's vents exhale unsteadily. Before X could say anything, Zero pressed his lips over X's, little sparks of connection flickering between them.

_"Stop. Zero, not… not in the middle of the hall."_

He could feel X's hands try to push him away and a part of him snarled. No. X was _his_. He-

_**Promise me… you won't hurt anyone else.** _

-let X go, his fingers trailing along his cheeks before pulling back. A twinge of pain roiled through him, but he ignored it. If the pain was back, he would deal with it later. Right now, he-

X sighed as Zero's thoughts spun in place. "We should probably talk about this," he told him, almost apologetically. "A lot is going to change if we- continue this. We're commanders of our own units, and that-"

"I know." _I don't care_ fell silent on his lips. _I need to possess you_ hung behind his voice box.

_Something's wrong with me._

"We should probably go to one of our rooms to talk about this," X said wryly. "I don't think either of us want the rest of the base to overhear us."

_Something's wrong with me, X. Don't you see it?_

_~~I NEED YOU.~~ _

  


* * *

  


"And that's why the probability of Frost Lup will ever get a promotion are less than 0.00000001%," Lightning Papillon concluded.

Axl rubbed the back of his head. Lightning Papillon's rationalization either made complete sense considering the events and the math involved… or sounded like someone utterly insane coming up with crackpot theories based on almost nothing. To be honest, Axl couldn't tell which it was and he didn't care. "Whatever you say, Pap," Axl told them, patting them on the shoulder.

Lightning Papillon's wings came up slightly, a visual indicator they were extremely happy. Either from Axl listening to them talk about it, or from the physical contact. They really liked Axl, the younger Reploid noted. And honestly, Axl felt the same for them. Even despite the probability chat, Lightning Papillon was one of the few Reploids not named X or Zero he could get along with. And when Lightning Papillon wasn't talking math, they were actually really funny.

"So," Axl started, knowing this would only have his friend talking about more math, "what about-"

Electricity sparked along Lightning Papillon's arm. Before Axl's system finished taking in everything, it screamed at him to back away. Just as he did, Lightning Papillon's wings extended fully, then started to twitch and flap erratically. Lightning Papillon's head jerked back and forth in short motions as Axl drew his guns, aiming them right at their head. He didn't manage to fire off a shot before lightning crashed down around him, forcing him to dodge. Axl's eyes narrowed as he looked at them, watching their body jerk, not even tracking Axl. His fingers curled on the triggers, pulling them back.

Lightning Papillon's body jerked as Axl's bullets slammed into them. Without stopping, Axl aimed higher and higher, pulling the triggers rapidly as he tracked them higher and higher through their torso, and then-

The last pair of bullets ripped through Lightning Papillon's head.

And his friend crumpled to the ground.

But he remembered the civilian Reploid and Elise, and kept his guns on Lightning Papillon's still form. When they didn't leap up, ready to keep fighting, Axl slowly lowered his guns, keeping an eye on their form.

Why had Lightning Papillon gone insane like that? The two of them had been talking, and they just- No. A missing piece of his memory yelled at him. But what-

The civilian. Roiling Liger. Elise. And now Lightning Papillon.

Axl had touched _all of them._

But that had to just be coincidence. He couldn't get infected-

His neck suddenly felt like it caught on fire. Hissing, Axl holstered one gun, slamming a hand over his throat. His fingers caught on a slightly torn piece of skin-

Next thing, Axl was looking up into X's worried face, his back flat on the ground. When he looked over, Zero was inspecting Lightning Papillon's body. "What- what's going on?"

He meant for all of it. Why were Reploids going Maverick like this? Why was it Reploids he had been around? What was going on?!

"You fainted," X told him, as if he couldn't hear the full question in Axl's voice. "When was the last time you went to Medical?"

Axl looked over at Lightning Papillon. And Zero.

His throat _itched._

And Zero looked over at him. "I'll take him to Medical," he announced. "Lightning Papillon has been… erased."

Not retired. Erased.

Axl closed his eyes, letting Zero pick him up.

Somehow, he didn't feel good about that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to get the feeling I shouldn't be playing Nier: Automata while writing this oops.
> 
> Also, Merry Christmas.


	10. Chapter 10

Asymptomatic carrier.

The words bounced around in his consciousness as his memory banks tried to hold onto the realization. Briefly, knowledge of other asymptomatic carriers came to mind. Axl's eyes slowly closed as information of Mary Mallon rushed through his mind, of how she never showed symptoms of typhoid as she cooked for the families, kitchens, hospitals…

Zero's hand on his head, yanking it to one side, baring his neck as Zero injected more virus into him, felt almost kind. His own anti-virus programs attacked the foreign hostile code immediately, recognizing the mutation for what it was before the virus could erase Axl as well. This virus used to be something else, Axl noted distantly as the line of code seeking Zero, wanting the injection Zero was giving him, kept him still. Maybe the Maverick virus? But now it erased the Reploid, turning them to scrap as they stood.

Axl felt Zero hold him closer. Was the way he felt around Zero something like pheromones? A predator luring his prey in by seeming harmless, attractive? If it had to have the baseline code inside Axl, the one laid there by the initial injection of the virus, then how did Axl first become infected? Why hadn't he fought back against Zero?

He felt a sigh against his torn skin, a sound of relief. A sound like… pain had just been lifted. Did Zero remember any of this? Or was this a base instinct, not recorded by his memory banks? This infection hadn't always been around… had the virus just recently mutated? Had it just recently forced Zero to do these things?

Zero held him, lifting his teeth out of the slight break in Axl's skin, as these realizations, these memories were deleted just as his own anti-virus programs halted the spread of corruption inside him. Axl felt Zero holding him tightly, close to a body that wasn't Zero's and yet was, the body of an enticing predator.

"Ah… Zero?" His throat _itched._ But he didn't know if he could stand without Zero's help, humiliatingly enough. So instead, he let Zero hold him, feeling awkward about the entire thing. It didn't help that Zero didn't have his armour on and was surprisingly _shapely_ under it. He could still feel the power thrumming through the other's frame, but the way he was shaped now didn't… it just felt strange. And he _knew_ X and Zero were pining after each other (everyone at base knew it, damn it), so having Zero holding him so tenderly felt… off.

"I'm sorry."

Axl didn't have time to ask what Zero meant before his teeth ripped into him.

  


* * *

  


These reports made no sense. X buried his head in his hands, groaning. So much had happened and he couldn't figure out what was going on. Because the other Reploids had been completely erased, OS and all, there was nothing to examine. They couldn't even tell if they had been infected with anything. They even didn't have anything in common. Leyva had been a security civilian consultant. Roiling Liger and Lightning Papillon hadn't even been in the same unit. And Navigator Elise… hadn't even had her first mission yet. She was due to start as the Ninth's Unit's Navigator the day she was erased. There were reports she wanted to do more, certainly, and some Navigators had reported she had her eye on being Axl's Navigator, but…

Hold up. Axl had been there when Leyva had gone berserk. Lightning Papillon was well known as Axl's friend, and X had overheard some Navigators betting on when they would finally confess some sort of romantic feelings (he privately doubted Lightning Papillon felt _that way_ about Axl, but he couldn't deny they were good friends). He didn't know if Axl knew Roiling Liger outside of knowing they were both Hunters, but…

A chill echoed through his systems as X quickly combed through the training room logs. Axl had been there, training alone… and Roiling Liger, alone and sparring with others, the last one he sparred with before leaving- before going berserk on patrol was-

Axl.

X stood suddenly.

But as soon as he did, a knock came at the door. X went to open it, noticing with surprise Zero stood there. "Zero, there might be a problem with Axl," he told him quietly, welcoming him in to report to him. "I've gone over what happened, and each Reploid impacted by these events had contact with Axl. I think something might have infected him."

Zero shook his head. "Axl's had contact with more Reploids than the ones affected. None of them have been erased like that. If, somehow, he was infected with some sort of virus, it should have infected everyone he came across."

Excluding Zero and himself. X thought back, remembering with slight horror how Axl had been at the Hunter meeting. If Zero was right, he had no reason to be worried. But if X was right, every single Reploid at that meeting, including Signas…

No. No one else had been reported as berserk or being erased. Signas himself was working himself to bolts, fine as always. It had to be a coincidence that Axl had something to do with all of them. X put a hand to his head, closing his eyes. Then what-?

A hand on his jaw made him open his eyes as Zero guided his head up. The press of lips on his rushed through his systems, a pleasant shiver that had him closing his eyes. Recorded memories of humans doing the same, of the touch of lips becoming a passionate movement, came to the fore, but he couldn't fathom doing the same. Not when just the gentle press of Zero's lips threw his senses into overdrive. He would shut down from overstimulation if he tried.

Zero's other hand came up to cup his face, then swept downward until both his hands settled on X's hips. Each touch of Zero's hands sparked along his body, making him pant, his systems working overtime, as Zero pushed him to the ground. X eagerly parted his legs, letting Zero settle between them as his own hands slid along Zero's body. He could feel the hum of his life under his fingertips, and the thrum of power along the alluring curve of his torso.

A protocol raised its head, politely reminding X he had a mystery to solve. Reploids were being erased. It would behoove him to put off this erotic encounter to another-

X force stopped the protocol.

It was selfish. He knew it. But he couldn't solve the mystery right now. And after so much, after fighting so many Mavericks, the need to connect, to be _cherished_ like he was in that moment-

For a moment, he let himself be selfish.

And pure pleasure splashed along his senses as Zero moved against him, every nerve connected where Zero pressed against him firing. X couldn't image what it would have been like had they been human, hazily remembering through each burst of pleasure that human intercourse usually included penetration. With that, the imagined sensation of Zero _inside_ him, not just setting off bursts of pleasure along his body but wringing it from the inside out had him crying out, the sound staticky and uneven. Zero's voice echoed, just as untamed as X's as a prompt sounded inside X.

Requesting permission to share data between him and Zero.

The agreement sounded through X's systems, followed by what X could only describe as Zero _penetrating_ him deeply, Zero's electronic essence twining itself around the core of X, lighting up each pleasure nerve as he went. The feeling spiralled higher and higher, and X distantly heard an alarm blaring. Something important. Something-

His senses shut down as the pleasure peaked.

Slowly, they came back to him, deliciously muted and hazy. Zero was still bent over him, his vents working hard as Zero lifted his head slowly, the same satisfied lassitude in his eyes.

And for a moment longer, X let himself be selfish, and pulled Zero in, his lips lazily pressing against Zero's.

Just one more moment longer.

Then he'd get back to work.


	11. Chapter 11

X hadn't realized it before, but now that Zero had left for his own duties, his mind felt calmer. More focused. He had needed that moment of being loved, cherished, and distracted from what baffled him. Of course, the fact he had just had basically sex with _Zero_ … Heat rushed to his cheeks, either from embarrassment, the growing unnamed feeling coming to the fore, or the memory of just how _good_ it felt.

Absently, X went through his unread alerts. Most of them were Hunter related messages. X read through them, noting the question about Axl's whereabouts. After what he had originally thought, other Reploids not knowing where Axl was made him uneasy. Axl probably was on a mission and other Hunters weren't aware of it. X cycled though the alerts-

For a moment, X couldn't move. The alert he had ignored during his tryst with Zero still flashed, politely warning him of danger to his own body. It could very easily be his systems overreacting to the connection, if not for- X felt his arms tremble as the alert went on, not just warning of something not-self inside his system, but warning of something outright _attacking_ him. The alert stated the damage done to his systems: an erasure to the coding for his cooling systems that wouldn't even be noticed unless he read this alert. His anti-virus programs had squashed the code responsible quickly, but the damage had still been done.

And the only place it could have come from…

No. Zero _couldn't_ be infected with this new virus. His own systems would have destroyed the virus just as quickly as X's had. But even as he thought that, X logged into Medical's records. Whatever Medical managed to have on Zero would prove him completely wrong. Zero couldn't-

Somehow, the fact Zero had dumped his code several times didn't make him feel any better. X chose the oldest code, scanning through it. Nothing stood out at first, everything working together correctly (if sometimes oddly; who in the world had _coded_ Zero?!), but something stood out to X. He isolated the code, looking it over.

At first, it looked like a completely incomprehensible line of random code. If it was any other time, X would have probably overlooked it, chalking it up to his creator putting in lines of code only he understood. It wasn't like X had found lines of code in early Reploids that were basically the coder making some sort of comment (he still remembered vividly the code that included the words "get milk on the way home"). So it was possible it was something Zero's creator wanted to remember and never removed.

But this wasn't any other time. In conjunction to Reploids being erased and X's own anti-virus programs kicking in against something that tried to erase _him_ , he gave the code a more proper eye.

Then, curious, he pulled up a blank template Reploid build and added the code into it, running it in a simulation immediately after.

Instantly, a warning came up.

The Reploid would turn Maverick.

While that spiked the worry in X, that didn't explain _erasure._ Frantically, X scrolled through the other code dumps for Zero, watching the line of code the entire time.

Slowly, very slowly, the code changed. Mutated. If Zero knew anything about this code, X realized, he wouldn't realize the virus in his code was mutating. Once he reached the last dump, X isolated the mutated code, pulling up yet another blank template and adding it in, running the simulation.

The Reploid started up-

And the code got to work.

Within minutes, all the coding, even the virus, was gone.

X ran for the door, already pinging Signas as he started towards Zero's room.

  


* * *

  


Something was wrong.

_Something was wrong._

He needed to go. Before-

_**Promise me… you won't hurt anyone else.** _

  


* * *

  


_"I see."_ X paid no attention to the visual, but Signas's voice alone told him the look on his face: Resigned. Even a little sad. But resolved. _"X, you know what you'll have to do."_

The dream memory of Zero looking up at him, betrayal on his face, rushed back. Had his systems already realized what was happening to Zero and tried to warn him? Subconsciously realizing it, and slipping it into his dreaming subconscious… X pushed the thought aside as he reached the hall where Zero's room resided. When he reached the door, for a moment, he considered knocking. It was polite… but if Zero was on the other side, and he knew X had figured it out-

Instead, X entered the code to open the door, lifting his buster once the room was revealed.

Zero wasn't inside.

A more chilling sight was.

X's buster faded back into a hand as he rushed to Axl's side. The younger Reploid was barely conscious. Looking at Axl, X wasn't sure if he should be worried about his waning consciousness, the fact Axl was almost certainly infected by Zero, or the sparking, destroyed mess that was his throat.

Distantly, the thought that Axl had just repaired his voice box came to him.

"Axl?" X didn't touch him. Not yet. If Axl was infected, X wasn't sure if whatever version of the virus Axl had would be recognized by his anti-virus programs.

Blinking, Axl managed to focus on X. "Zzz-" A high pitched whine and a burst of static interrupted Axl almost immediately, and X winced.

"Don't try to talk," he told him. "Blink once for yes, twice for no. Did Zero do this to you?"

A bottomless feeling in his body, almost a feeling of encroaching dread, filled him as Axl blinked once.

"A more important question: are you infected right now?"

One blink.

No one could touch Axl, then. Not without risk being erased as well.

Axl's finger started tapping on the ground, almost erratically. X watched the finger, noticing after a few taps there was a rhythm. No, not just a rhythm.

"Start over," X told him, hushed.

 _"Fine."_ X felt his hands twitch at the tapped out word. _"I don't think Zero meant to do this. Something wrong with Zero too."_ Axl looked away and fell still. For a moment, X wondered if he had lost consciousness, or worse, the coding for him to be able to be conscious was erased.

Then Axl looked back at him. _"I should be okay to be touched in a bit. I can feel my anti-virus taking care of it right now. I just can't move myself."_

X looked at his ruined throat. It couldn't be because of that- so that meant the virus had- X closed his eyes. "We'll fix your motor coding," he promised.

But if Axl's anti-virus programming was taking care of it now, and nothing about him had been erased before… did that mean Zero had infected him a while back and it was just now realizing how to fight back? But nothing had been- unless. Unless the virus had erased Axl's memory of the event, and this time the virus went after his motor functions first instead of his memory.

Either way…

X's own systems weren't warning him about infection. So it wasn't transmitted wirelessly. There probably had to be some sort of contact. His eyes went back to the ruin of a throat. He didn't really remember Zero and Axl having any sort of physical contact recently, but he did remember Axl rubbing his neck often. Combined with the destruction now…

Zero was escalating.

He needed to stop Zero.

The thought stuck in his chest, sharp. Painful. Almost dizzying.

But he had to make sure Axl was going to be okay first.

Once he had Axl in Medical, he'd contact Alia to locate Zero.


	12. Chapter 12

No one would be taking this elevator at this time of the day. If he went down to the third floor, then went out onto the walkway, he could find a way out. Away. Away from the defenceless Reploids, the-

He could still feel Axl between his teeth. Synthetic skin, wires, fluids-

And yet, he could still feel the need to… to what? Pain tweaked through him, telling him he knew what he needed to do. Code raised its head, seductively whispering to him. He had seen what he could do. Axl had been the perfect vector: unable to be deleted himself, but still shedding the virus with every touch. Now, he just needed to continue it. Infect others. Fulfil his destiny.

But he hadn't _chosen_ this. He had hurt his friends, his fellow Hunters…

The virus inside him had hurt X.

That wasn't acceptable.

Zero's feet took him to said walkway. To the edge.

… if he fell, not bothering to cushion his fall at all, he would just be fixed. As long as his control chip was okay, any damage to his body would be repaired.

So instead, he climbed onto the railing and engaged his thrusters, leaping away. He could run. Leave, find a place to hide, and try to delete this abominable destiny inside him. Then, when he wasn't primed to completely take out Reploid life- or even possibly all electronic life- he would return.

Even if it meant returning to meet X and Axl's busters.

Because he didn't know if that line of code could be transmitted after his death.

  


* * *

  


"I'm coming with you."

X was surprised Axl could even engage his voice box at all without it instantly bleeding into completely meaningless static and feedback. Not that it didn't have any of that; many words were garbled. But in the time it took Alia to locate Zero's signal, Axl's motor functions had been mostly restored and his voice was… usable. "Axl, you're still not-"

"I'm coming _with you_ ," Axl insisted. "If Zero manages to infect you too, someone needs to be there to watch your back."

The memory of his own infection, swiftly snuffed out by his own systems, and how that infection came to be flooded X's mind. "A-anyway," X said, forcing embarrassed heat from blooming on his face. "You're not ready. You're not moving as smoothly as you should be, and I don't know if what hasn't been restored yet includes important battle functions. You need to stay here."

Axl opened his mouth, obviously wanting to refute this, but the loud feedback that escaped his lips made him shut his mouth quickly. Instead, he glared at X, a transmission demanding attention in X's alerts. _"Look, we all get it. You and Zero are a thing, even if you don't realize it. But going after him alone is practically suicide, X. You two are practically on the same power level, and he's going insane, if he hasn't already dropped off that deep end. X, you are going to need help and if we don't go together I can find a way to go alone."_ The look on Axl's face sharpened, a cold mien settling over his features. _"It wouldn't be hard, either. So take me along and cut out the bullshit of 'Oh Axl, how did you find me?' because I **will** be there."_

X knew Axl wasn't bluffing. For being so much younger than either X or Zero, he was ruthlessly resourceful. But-

"I can't watch you die," X told Axl, his voice quiet. "If Zero's not… Zero, you won't be able to stand up to him. Not like this. And we don't know if your anti-virus software can take another hit. Or, if the virus has mutated again, if it'll even recognize it until it's too late."

That made Axl look away. _"I can't let you die, either,"_ Axl told him.

"I'll be careful," X promised.

"You better," Axl said aloud, wincing at the screeching feedback as he spoke. "Because if Alia says you're in any trouble, I _will_ be there."

"I know." X gently took Axl's shoulders in his hands. "I promise."

He didn't bother saying he'd bring Zero back. They both knew, most likely, X would have to retire Zero.

They both knew it.

Axl nodded, stepping back. "Good luck."

X nodded in return, turning on his heels and left.

  


* * *

  


Zero's signal led to an abandoned military warehouse well outside city limits. Honestly, the only reason Hunters knew it had, at one point in the last hundred years, had been a military warehouse was the structure inside. Having what was clearly gun racks and the echos of a very old security system told the story. Why it had been abandoned was unknown as none of the footage they recovered from the security cameras had explained anything.

But being abandoned with computers to log into that may be able to access more modern systems made X's systems uneasy. None of the Hunters had known if the old software could even interface with newer systems, but X didn't want to take the chance. Not with Zero escalating like this.

Axl had said something was wrong with Zero too. Did that mean Zero had been distraught of what he had done, or the fact he had mauled Axl and possibly hadn't seemed bothered by it? Both options were depressingly possible.

As X started in, he pulled his buster up, not yet charging a shot. If it was the first, and Zero's actions were out of his control and he knew it, then X didn't want to shoot him with a fully charged shot. He could possibly still save Zero. But X wasn't going to go in without his buster ready. Not… not if the second possibility was the right one.

Nothing jumped out at him immediately. That was good. X looked around, all his senses reaching out. Nothing came back. It seemed like he was alone.

_"Alia. Can you pinpoint Zero's exact location inside the warehouse?"_

X could hear her computer working as she looked. _"I'm sorry, X. The warehouse is too small. But in relative distance, Zero's a little east of your location."_

East. X turned, examining the east wall. There were vents with crooked gates, but Zero wouldn't have been able to fit through those. Not unless he suddenly shapeshifted into something about the size of a cat. So that was out. He turned, taking in the entire wall. Then- there. The door almost melted into the rest of the wall, but he could see a slight sliver of light peeking through, flickering. X made his way over, peeking through the crack first.

It looked like a hallway, with a malfunctioning light. X looked around, noticing what looked like a deactivated control panel next to the door. Curious, he poked at it, noticing it still didn't come on even has he looked over it. Zero had probably pulled it open, only for it to slide shut again somehow. X reached out, managing to fit his fingers in the crack, and pulled, the door resisting the motion. But eventually, he managed to get it open far enough to slip inside.

The flickering light made X watch the shadows perhaps more carefully than usual. His sensors told him no one was in the hall with him, but he still whipped around to aim his buster at a flicker that looked like motion.

There were a line of doors littering the hall. X peeked into all of them as he went, cautious as he looked into the already open doors, his buster leading the way. No one was in any of the dark and messy offices. Finally, he reached the last door, this one strangely closed. His sensors couldn't make out anything inside. Even still, X opened the door carefully, noticing the hinges didn't squeal as he did so. When he looked inside, he couldn't see anyone. In fact, this office was just as empty.

Alia could only tell Zero was in this direction, and there were stairs leading up to a second story, X reminded himself. X slowly made his way back out, not yet lowering his buster. The door was still open far enough for X to squeeze back outside. He worked his body back out of the crack, grunting as he went.

His senses threw up an alert before he had even cleared the door. X spun the instant he was free, aiming his buster as he looked around. He wasn't alone in the main floor of the warehouse now. The alert told him to look up-

And dodge just as Zero leapt down, his sabre in his hand as he landed. X held his buster steady on Zero, still not yet firing as Zero pulled himself tall and looked over at him.

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other. The cold look in Zero's face made X want to start charging his buster. But he couldn't. Not yet.

This was _Zero._

And for a moment, his dreams came back to him, the memory of shooting Zero, the betrayed look on his face as he laid on the ground, scrap metal-

"Zero." The word came out pleadingly. "I don't know how this happened - how you were infected or why it's like this now - but please. Don't make me have to fight you."

"Then what are you going to do?" Real despair laced each word. "I couldn't stop myself from hurting Axl. I couldn't stop myself from trying to infect _you._ X, if I go back…"

X's systems ran the possibilities and came back with Zero infecting the entire base, taking out all the Maverick Hunters at once. And then no one would be around to stop Mavericks, letting them run around, unchecked, causing destruction on a scale X couldn't even fathom.

Stopping Zero was the only way.

But he _couldn't._ He couldn't fire into that face, crumpled in pain, clearly suffering at the thought.

"Do the computers here still work," X finally asked, his voice the sound of someone reaching for anything to make it right. "I can look at your code, isolate the virus and delete it-"

"And you don't think I've been trying that?" Zero shot back. "I found one in the upper level that would turn on. The virus erased the hard drive as soon as I plugged myself in."

X winced. The computers at headquarters had the most sophisticated anti-virus software, so the virus had probably remained in Zero's code. Or the virus in the most recent dump hadn't evolved enough to be a threat. But if someone thoughtlessly scrolled through it, or even took it from the files and properly uploaded it to the Hunters' database-

 _"Alia,"_ he transmitted quietly, pulling up the shared connection. _"Tell Medical not to access Zero's files or upload it to the database. It might be infected."_

 _"Medical has already quarantined the data,"_ Alia assured him. _"Watch out, X. I'm reading high levels of the virus. Don't let Zero touch you."_

The words sat heavily inside him. If he couldn't touch Zero, the only thing left to him would be to…

He didn't want to fire into the face his heart held dear.

But he didn't have any choice.

Zero watched his buster start to glow, charging. His stance shifted, and X noted how his body seemed to reorganize itself, turning sleeker. Zero had always had the body of someone ready to fight, ready to win, but now… Now, Zero looked like someone ready to _hunt._ To pull prey in and take it down. X almost felt dizzy at the sight. But he kept the buster on him, still trying to find any way out of having to fire it.

But if Zero could wipe any computer he came across and just touching him would put any Reploid at risk…

But X wasn't a Reploid. The Reploid design had come from X, but no one couldn't replicate his systems perfectly. Dr. Light had coded him in a way no one could follow in his footsteps. Maybe that had been on purpose, so another X, this time far less moral, wasn't running around. But that meant his hardware, his _software_ , everything was one of a kind.

So, with that thought, X swallowed. This place would be the highest risk he ever took.

But he couldn't fight Zero.

X rushed forward, taking Zero by surprise. The sabre moved in a deadly arc, but X had sparred enough with Zero. Dodging the swing was ingrained in him by now. But instead of using the split second Zero was at the end of his swing and was vulnerable for counter attacks, X tackled him, his buster still charged in case. The two of them stumbled, Zero easily keeping his feet and X held him tightly with his buster arm, pinning his sabre arm, his other hand coming up and pulling a connection cord free from the port at his neck. Zero struggled to pull free of X's grasp as he reached around Zero, blindly reaching for his own port under the mass of that hair. But as soon as his seeking fingers found it, he plugged it in.

Instantly, he could feel his anti-virus software get to work. Zero's hand reached for the cord as X's mind connected with Zero's. Emotions rushed into X, Zero's emotions, but he ignored the fear, despair, hopelessness, _pain_ -

And delved right into Zero's code. Naturally, as soon as he even thought about it, X ran into Zero's firewall. X tried to disable it, a burning feeling spiking through him each time he failed. His own anti-virus systems started populating warnings, little bites at his code threatening to knock his systems out of stabilization. X grit his teeth, refocusing on Zero's firewall.

"Stop, X," came Zero's physical voice. "You're going to-!"

"I'm going to save you," X managed to say, resting his head on Zero's. "I can't let you die. I-"

Zero's lips met his as the firewall finally unlocked. X rushed through Zero's systems, searching frantically for the virus as they stood there, physically connected.

He found it just as an alarm came up, warning him of emergency shutdown in ten seconds. X immediately went to work, trying to delete it before the time limit. But it seemed impossible; the code restored itself even as he changed it. Each second ticked down, from ten down to the final countdown, three, two, one-

And then all was darkness.

  


* * *

  


As X powered down, a pained noise ripped free from Zero's throat. The charge on his buster dissipated, X slumping against him as his limbs went limp.

No. No, he didn't- he _couldn't_ have-

"X, no, no-" The words left his lips as X broke the kiss, only held up by Zero's grasp. "Please, X, respond. X. _X!_

Nothing.

Zero's sabre hit the ground as he pulled X closer. He had gone against Iris's dream words. He had hurt X. And now X might never wake-

With one hand, he reached behind him, pulling the cord free. He had felt X isolate the virus, try to delete it, but his systems had been coded to accept it. Coded to house it perfectly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, gently lowering X to the ground.

Then picked up his sabre again, readying it. Aiming it at his own control chip. Even if X was okay, even if X had just shut down so his systems could focus completely on not being deleted… he would continue to hurt X.

He closed his eyes.

And a hand on his stopped him as another cable snapped into his neck.

"I told X I would follow him," Axl's voice came from behind him, the ruined noise cold. "I'm not scientific like X is, and I don't know much about coding or really what I'm doing, but I'm not going to let my best friend die."

If X's attempts had been a surgical laser, Axl was a sledgehammer. He slipped right past Zero's still disabled firewall, groping clumsily for the code responsible.

Zero powered down as Axl ripped it apart, feeling Axl slump against him just as his own consciousness faded.

His last thought was maybe, with luck, Zero would never wake up and fulfil Iris's desire never to hurt anyone again.


	13. Chapter 13

Consciousness returned first. After a moment, the ocular nervous system booted, and X blinked. Diagnostics ran quietly in the background as he tried to remember why he was laying on a concrete floor. One by one, different diagnostic checks came back, each more puzzling than the last: various systems had been damaged and had been (and in some cases, still were) being repaired. His motor functions were working adequately enough that he could sit up and look around.

An abandoned warehouse.

His memory pings. X had come to this location to find-

With a lurch, X attempted to scramble to his feet. His motor functions weren't quite repaired enough for fine motor control like standing and walking, so he ended up stumbling before falling onto-

Zero.

Horror filling him, X looked up at Zero's empty face. "Zero," he whispered, clumsily batting at his face. "Zero, answer me! Ze-"

Something shifted, and Axl fell to the ground as the cable linking him and Zero together broke free, his body limp and lifeless. "Axl, I told you…" X said, his voice shattering with each word. X slithered to his knees, one hand reaching out to touch Axl's face. Strange, but there seemed to almost be satisfaction resting on his serene face…

It didn't change the fact X's heart felt torn in two. Zero, to whom he had bared his essence, who had become such a part of his life that he didn't know when his relationship with him had turned into something romantic. Axl, the Reploid he was so certain shouldn't be a Hunter, who had slotted so perfectly next to Zero as a dear friend…

"I'm so sorry…" He should have been the one to save Zero, so Axl didn't have to join him in-

A groan escaped Axl's voice box as X heard his body boot, the sound of fans whirring and the mechanical clicks never sounding so good. Slowly, Axl tried to push himself up, only to fall once again. X held out his hands, keeping him still. "Don't move." Hope rose in him as he looked over at Zero. Maybe- "How are your diagnostic scans?"

"I'll be fine." Axl rolled over on his back, giving him a thumbs up. Then, he looked up at Zero, his face shuttering again. "Is he-"

X reached up to Zero's face, sending him a ping. When it wasn't answered, X tried again.

Nothing.

Axl's hand reached out, patting his calf. "X, I- I tried, okay? But I'm not like you. I just know how to copy Reploid DNA. I can't-"

"Hey." X looked down at Axl. "You… you tried."

Silence fell between them. Axl had tried. And it nearly killed him, and now Zero-

Zero's systems were as much, if not more a mystery than X's own. There was a possibility Zero was okay. A possibility Zero was still repairing himself. X touched Zero's face, wishing it would wake him up. When it didn't, X rested his head on Zero's, air shivering through his vents as his vision blurred, tears obscuring it.

Then-

X's eyes widened as he felt a ping back. Not daring to voice a hope, he carefully returned the ping to Zero.

This time, X could hear the hum of Zero's body start up.

X hadn't realized what the feeling of 'holding my breath in anticipation" had felt like before now. He couldn't hold his breath without risking overheating, but the paralyzing stillness felt the same. "Zero?" he whispered, his other hand coming up to cup Zero's face.

While Zero didn't respond, X could feel his body booting up under his fingers. "Alia," he said, urgently connecting to his Navigator. "We're going to need a Lifesafer out here. Zero's-"

_"Are you sure, X? He could still be infected."_

X grit his teeth. Even if his systems weren't being invaded by a hostile program by touching Zero, that didn't mean the code hadn't just gone dormant and still resided inside Zero. But- X closed his eyes. Did he risk the lives of many to save the one he loved? "Even if he's infected-"

"Heh." X's eyes snapped open at the wheezing dry laugh. "I don't think you need to worry about that."

"Zero!"

Another dry laugh escaped his lips. "Hey, X. I'm… I'm glad you're okay."

"What about me?" Axl's pout was audible.

"You're a crazy kid who could have gotten himself killed in more ways than one." And the smile in Zero's voice was just as audible.

"Man, you save _one_ friend from death by risking your data and you're just labeled the 'crazy kid.' See if I do anything for you again."

But when X looked over, Axl was smiling, relief clear in his face. He turned back to Zero, his thumb stroking over his cheek. "Are you going to be okay?" X asked, his voice quiet.

"Yeah. Axl ripped my code a new one, but it's repairing itself. _Without_ the virus."

X started laughing. "Axl, your crazy stunt worked."

Axl flashed another thumbs up.

  


* * *

  


Zero sat gingerly on the table. He knew the computer he was about to be hooked up to wasn't connected to any other system. If it became infected, it wouldn't spread. They could delete the virus right then and there without any other system becoming corrupted. But they still needed to make sure his code was clean.

He almost overbalanced as he sat down. After it all, his body had kept the design it had adopted fighting X. While it didn't usually impair his movement, there were times he expected to balance a certain way and had to make quick adjustments. Training had helped, but he didn't want to admit how many times he nearly fell on his face while rushing after a drone, his sabre glowing at his side.

X looked at him with sympathy as he held up a cable. "Could you move your hair?"

With a nod, Zero reached up behind him, shifting his hair away from his port. He wanted someone else to do these tests, someone not X, someone so X didn't have to deal with the continued memory of what almost happened. But X was the best person for the job, having already known what code to look for and not being able to be infected without his systems immediately eradicating the virus. It still made Zero want to whisk X away, to a safe place, to _his-_

"It's okay," X assured him as Zero took a deep breath. "No matter what the answer is, it'll be okay."

"Just… having very possessive thoughts," Zero admitted. "You shouldn't have to deal with this."

X took one of Zero's hands, squeezing. "I couldn't put you through this alone." And with those words, X turned back to the computer, getting to work.

In silence, they sat as X combed his code. Finally, X spoke up. "It doesn't look like your creator made you with the virus already in your code. But your code adapted around the virus so well there's a gaping hole where it was. There's the possibility, as your code repairs itself more, that it'll restore the virus too."

Zero pressed a fist to his forehead. So even now, he might still infect everyone around him in the future.

"But-" Zero looked over at X, lowering his hand and blinking at the smile on his face. "The good thing is that possibility is incredibly low. There's less than a one in one- _trillionth_ chance it will happen. And if it does happen… we should be able to catch it before you become infectious."

Numb, Zero let X take his hands again. "So I'm basically a time bomb."

"No! Don't think like that, Zero." X squeezed his hands. "It's not going to happen. It's such a low chance it will _never happen._ You're going to be okay."

Zero closed his eyes.

He was going to be okay.

"Heh." Zero opened his eyes again. "I like those words."

He liked the feeling of X pressing his lips on his even more.

He was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. That was a trip. Thank you all so much! This was fun to write. And I hope you enjoyed it too!
> 
> If you want to see me rant about various things, I have a twitter at vagrantbreath. If you want to see fandom ramblings, I also have a dreamwidth, also at vagrantbreath.
> 
> Again, thank you all so much!


End file.
